


The Land of Dragons

by fadingmemories (dreamingunderthetstars)



Category: Brave (2012), How to Train Your Dragon (Movies), Rise of the Guardians (2012), Tangled (2010)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Character Death, Depression, Don't Like Don't Read, Dragons are humans, F/F, F/M, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Mild Language, Non-Graphic Rape/Non-Con, OOC, Past Kidnapping, Triggers, Underage Drinking, Underage Drug Use, Violence, galore, gen for now - Freeform, like i said, pls be careful
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-11
Updated: 2015-08-14
Packaged: 2018-04-14 05:32:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,807
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4552536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dreamingunderthetstars/pseuds/fadingmemories
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It started off as a normal day for Hiccup, and then it just went downhill once Dagur Berserker (a.k.a Dagur the Deranged) cornered him in the art hallway. They could've walked by like any normal student but no, Jack Frost and Merida DunBroch just had to get involved.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. {One}

**Author's Note:**

> I've also published this on my account: wishesdreams on ff.net. 
> 
> I do not own How to Train Your Dragon, Rise of the Guardians, Brave, Tangled or any other recognizable movie characters seen in this story. No copyright infringement intended. All rights reserved to Cressida Cowell, William Joyce, DreamWorks, Pixar, Disney etc.

:: The Land of the Dragons ::

{One}

Hiccup sighed as he slouched forward, wishing once again that he were invisible. Oh, he was invisible alright to the rest of his peers unless they wanted something from him, but the thought generally came as a result of his personal torturers. He trudged forward, holding his AP World History textbook close to his chest, his bag slapping against his legs as he walked, and seemed to shrink into himself to appear as a nobody to the swirling crowds of Thaddeus High surrounding him.

He walked up a staircase, made a sharp left, and entered the art hallway. It was deserted, which was normal since lunch just started twelve minutes ago and it was a long walk from the courtyard all the way to the building that encased the art room. Hiccup's stomach gurgled in protest over the lack of food but Hiccup scowled at the organ before mentally telling it to toughen up.

Then, a voice behind him spoke, making him freeze in panic.

"Hello, Hiccup."

Hiccup turned slightly to see Dagur Berserker, who was dubbed Dagur the Deranged by the student populace, towering behind him. Hiccup swallowed down his encroaching fear. "H-Hello, Dagur. W-why are you in the a-art h-hallway?"

Dagur's pale lips spread into a smile that made shivers crawl on Hiccup's spine. Dagur was around five feet nine, with black hair, muscles, and green eyes. He had three scars that ran down from his left eyebrow to his cheekbone, crossing over his left eye. It gave him a look that screamed intimidation.

Dagur leaned against one of the lockers, eyes on Hiccup's small physique with curiosity. "I saw you walking alone and figured I'd follow to see what you were up to. Why,  _Hiccup_ , I didn't know you were an artist."

Hiccup fought down a shudder. He hated the way Dagur spoke of his name. It was like a purr. Either way, it was creepy, like one would think a pedophile or a stalker would speak like to their latest victim.

"O-oh, really?" Hiccup responded, loathing the way Dagur made his voice squeak. "I-I thought i-it w-was obvious, s-since I c-carry a sketchbook all the time." He ended in a mutter, eyes peering down at the white tiles of the hallway.

Dagur suddenly hissed, "Are you calling me stupid, Haddock?"

Heart thudding, Hiccup replied, "Wha—no, I wasn't!"

"Liar," Dagur snarled before lunging forward a split second later, so fast that Hiccup didn't have a chance to scramble away before his books clattered loudly onto the floor along with his bag and his back was being slammed into the lockers, Dagur holding him by the front of his shirt. Dagur's bright green eyes were flashing with ire. Hiccup knew that he was practically radiating fear.

Give him his other bullies—Pitch Black or Hans S. Isles or his cousin Snotlout or the twins, Ruffnut and Tuffnut Thorston, who were all easy and predictable to deal with—, give him anyone else but Dagur the Deranged.

"You know what I do to—"

Dagur's tirade was cut off by a shout, "Hey! What the bloody hell do yeh think yer doin'?"

Hiccup's and Dagur's head snapped towards a tall redheaded girl, who was wearing a dark green blouse with a black skirt and stockings. Her blue eyes flashed, much like Dagur's, and she was holding a lacrosse stick, gripping it tightly.

"Let the wee lamb go," snapped the girl.

_Wee lamb? I'm not that small, people…._

Dagur let out a hysterical laugh. "What are  _you_ going to do, DunBroch? Bat your eyes at me?"

The DunBroch chick growled but someone else stepped out from the double doors. He had white hair, blue eyes much like the girl, and his jaw was clenched.  _This must be my lucky day,_ Hiccup thought sourly.  _Everyone, grab some popcorn and soda, it's Hiccup Humiliation Day!_

"Berserker, let him go before I—,"

"Before  _what_ , Frost?" Dagur questioned.

Hiccup allowed a small sliver of hope to enter. Maybe he wouldn't get beaten today? He then squashed his hope, Dagur would find a way to "punish" him, either after school or sometime this week.

He sighed and dared to speak. "Can we get going? Because I have somewhere to be."

"Ooh, got a girlfriend, Hiccup?" Dagur asked, his previous conversation with his wannabe saviors forgotten in favor of Hiccup. "Who is it? Then again, who would ever want to date someone like  _you_?"

Hiccup scowled as he tried not to have that comment sting. It wasn't his fault he was so damn short or had the body of a talking fishbone.

"I'm bored now," Dagur said which Hiccup cringe because a bored Dagur was not a Dagur Hiccup wanted to be around. He was dropped to the floor as Dagur yawned and said, "See you later,  _Hiccup_." He threw Hiccup a lecherous grin before waltzing his way out of the art hallway, grinning widely at the Frost bot and DunBroch girl.

Hiccup shuddered but quickly gathered his books and bag. He jumped and squeaked (though it was a  _manly_ squeak) when a warm hand was placed on his arm. He whirled around to see DunBroch and Frost standing behind him. DunBroch was touching his arm.

"Hey, are yeh alright?" She asked him, serious.

"How long as Dagur been terrorizing you?" asked Frost, solemn just like DunBroch.

Hiccup felt slight anger flare inside of his chest. He wasn't something to be pitied. He glared at them both. "Why do you care?" Hiccup said harshly before turning on his heel and stalking towards the art room, where the teacher, Mr. Aster Bunnymund, or Mr. B as he liked to be called, was currently painting an Easter themed portrait. Rock music blared throughout the room.

"Hey, Mr. B," Hiccup greeted, mumbling, as he made his way inside of the room.

"Hi, Hiccup," Mr. B replied as he dipped his paintbrush into a turquoise paint.

Hiccup shuffled towards his normal desk, setting down his books and bag before walking across the room to grab an apron. There were a couple of people in the room, which surprised him. There was a tall, blonde, green-eyed girl who was jumping excitedly on the balls of her feet as she painted and chattered to a brunet boy sitting next to her, and there was a dark-haired girl who was sketching in her book a few seats away from Hiccup, but that was mainly it.

"Jack, Merida! You made it!"

Hiccup looked up to see his two almost-saviors enter the art room and make their way towards the blonde and brunet. He groaned quietly but grabbed some charcoal pencils and his classroom sketchbook. Quickly making his way to his seat near the window, Hiccup tried to make himself as small as possible.

"That's the kid Dagur was bullying in the hallway," Hiccup heard being whispered.

 _I'm horrible at this invisible thing,_  he thought as he turned to the page of his latest sketch. It was a fat dragon, one he was going to name a Gronckle. It had large bumps all around it's physique, slightly small wings, but large eyes and nostrils. It was adorable.

" _What_?" snapped the blonde, horrified. "Oh, the poor thing."

He wanted to die from mortification. He buried his nose into his sketchbook as he began working on the Gronkle's wings. He decided that he'd begin sketching out a Monstrous Nightmare after the Gronckle was done with. However, before he could properly immerse himself in a world of dragons, someone tapped him on the shoulder.

He looked up to see a pair of green eyes blinking at him.

"Hi!" The blonde girl beamed at him. "I'm Rapunzel."

"H-hi," Hiccup responded. Why was she talking to him?

"Are you alright? Did Dagur do permanent damage? Do you need to go to the nurse, the hospital?" asked the girl rapidly, barely breathing between words.

"Whoa, Punzie, take a breather." DunBroch said, amused.

"Yeah, Zel, let him speak," said the brunet.

Rapunzel scoffed at them before peering at Hiccup expectedly. He was unceremoniously gaping at them, especially the blonde. He blinked, remembering the questions being asked, and replied, "I-I'm fine. Really. You don't need to be concerned with me at all."

"But…" Rapunzel bit her lip. "You ran into  _Dagur_."

Hiccup stared at them. He didn't see what the big deal was.

"So? I run into Dagur almost every day." Hiccup said, wanting to turn back to his Gronckle. He was going to name it Meatlug. The four of the older teenagers gaped at him. "What?"

"Almost every day?" whispered the Frost boy. He was clenching his fist. "Ugh, do I wish I took a swing at Dagur's face when I had the chance."

"That'd be horrible," Hiccup said without thinking or filtering his mouth. "Dagur's well-known for his fast reflexes and, well, clobbering people to the floor."

The four snorted and the brunet said, "Well, isn't that the understatement of the year."

"You never said your name, you know." DunBroch blurted as she, and the other teens, took seats around Hiccup. He gulped.

"Uh, it's…" He sighed. Well, there went his peaceful lunch hour. "I'm Hiccup. Nice to meet you."

 _Not really,_  he added mentally, refraining from speaking it.

"I'm Eugene," the brunet introduced himself. "Though most people call me Flynn."

"I'm Jack," the Frost boy said, smiling toothily at him.

"Merida," DunBroch said. "It's nice to meet you too, Hiccup."

"So what grade are you in, Hiccup?" asked Rapunzel politely.

"Ninth," he responded reluctantly. "W-what about you, guys?"

"Jack and I are sophomores," Merida said. "While Punzie and Flynn are both juniors."

Hiccup nodded, though he was wondering why they were still here. No one ever talked to him unless it was academically related. Thankfully, he was saved by the bell and the four teenagers stood, collecting their belongings. Hiccup was glad he had art class this period, Politely, he said goodbye to the four when they were about to leave before making himself comfortable with Meatlug.

Hiccup sighed as he walked out of his last period, which was his AP English. He swore the teacher loathed him for some weird reason. He was making his way through the pulsing crowds when someone called his name, which caused him to jerk to a stop, startled.

"Hiccup!"

He turned, blinking, to see Rapunzel racing after him, Eugene on her heels. "Hey Hiccup," greeted Rapunzel brightly as she bounced on her heels with unreciprocated energy. Eugene was huffing from the run. "Do you want to hang with the others and I at Baby Tooth's?"

Baby Tooth's was an awesome cafe, art studio, and book store. It was named after the owner, whom everyone called Baby Tooth despite the fact that her actual name was Bria. Bria was amazing as was her mother, Annie, whom everyone called Tooth since she acted like the tooth fairy and wore wings sometimes.

Hiccup stared. This was starting to get suspicious. He shook his head. "No thanks, I have to get home."

"Oh," Rapunzel pouted, practically deflating in front of his eyes. Then she brightened and said, "Maybe tomorrow?"

"Uh…"

"Okay, Hiccup, see you tomorrow!" said the hyperactive blonde before she zoomed out of sight, pulling Eugene behind. Eugene hollered a goodbye to Hiccup, whilst he stood there, gawking, in the thinning crowd. Hiccup shook his head before he began to walk home. The last thing he needed was to bump into one of his bullies, who were probably lurking about, waiting.

Hiccup made it home before his father, which made him breathe a sigh of relief. His black cat, Toothless, mewed in welcoming from his scratching post. "Hey, buddy," Hiccup said as he dropped his bag and book on the couch, stretching. He scratched Toothless behind the ear, chuckling as his cat purred in satisfaction and smugness.

Hiccup grabbed his things and walked upstairs to his room, Toothless following. Opening his door, Hiccup smiled at the peace. His room wasn't overly large but it was big in comparison to others. The walls were a rich green while his carpet was a soft brown, his bed dressed in the same colors. Hanging on the walls were portraits, paintings, and sketches, and a desk sitting underneath his window was littered with his creations. Hiccup dropped his bag on the floor and himself onto his bed, curling into a ball instantly.

"Today was weird, Toothless," Hiccup said as the cat jumped onto his bed and padded towards him. "Four people talked to me today, and it wasn't the normal 'what was the homework' or the 'I'm going to hit you now' that I usually get from people."

Toothless purred.

"Do you think they're playing a joke on me, since I'm a freshman? You know, fresh meat and everything."

Growling, Toothless rested his paw on Hiccup's chest, as if saying  _how dare those humans hurt my human?!_

Hiccup chuckled before scratching Toothless underneath his chin. He sighed, staring at his alarm clock. It was four in the afternoon. His father wasn't home yet, though that was normal. He was probably hanging out with his friends at the station. Hiccup sighed and closed his eyes.

_Another day has passed..._

 


	2. {Two}

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoy this chapter! I’m sorry if the characters are too OOC or if I botch Merida’s slight Scottish brogue.   
> This has no Beta, so I’m sorry for any mistakes. Please see Chapter One for disclaimer. This is also on ff.net (which is up to around chapter ten, I believe)

:: The Land of Dragons ::

{Two}

Hiccup took a bite out of his breakfast bagel and grabbed his bag to leave. His fathers’ coffee and breakfast was on the table, steaming. Toothless was purring contently as he ate his breakfast, which consisted of fish and milk. Hiccup sighed, preparing himself for another dreadful day. He didn’t bother telling his father he was leaving since the man wouldn’t appreciate being woken up for such a simple thing, and Hiccup did not want to deal with the man so early in the morning.

The walk to school was short and simple, the November air getting crisp though not too cold for him to wear something bulkier than his normal long sleeve shirts and jeans. As Hiccup crossed the schools’ threshold, he counted his blessings that he hadn’t encountered his bullies. Briskly making his way to his locker, he pondered on if those odd group of four teens from the art room yesterday would bother him.

“Hey, Hiccup!”

_I spoke too soon…_

Hiccup turned to see Rapunzel barreling towards him with a smile stretched over her lips. Her enthusiasm was getting tiresome for Hiccup, honestly, where did she store that energy?

“Hello,” greeted Hiccup as he closed his locker and locked it. He shouldered his bag. “Good morning, Rapunzel.”

“Who’s this?” asked the auburn-haired girl, who was standing next to Rapunzel.

“Oh, Hiccup, this is my cousin, Anna Arendelle,” Rapunzel said. “Anna, this is Hiccup.”

“Hi,” greeted Anna. “I like your name...is it a nickname?”

Hiccup blinked but shook his head. “No,” he mumbled. “It’s my actual name.”

“Oh,” said Anna, looking a bit uncomfortable since Hiccup could clearly see that she wanted to laugh. “Oh, I see Hans and the others. Bye, Rapunzel! Bye...Hiccup.” And then the ginger rushed away.

Rapunzel frowned, narrowing her eyes at her cousin but Hiccup was used to it. His name was another reason why he was bullied.

“Sorry about her,” Rapunzel apologized. “She’s just been so different ever since she started hanging out with Hans and his crowd.”

Hiccup nodded and was about to say his goodbyes and head to his first period, preferably before he was spotted, but he saw a flash of red from the corner of his eye and Merida came into view.

“Hi, Hiccup, Punzie!”

“Hey, Merida!”

“...hi,” mumbled Hiccup.

Seriously, when will these upperclassmen get the hint and leave? Or would they just play their cruel joke on him and get it over with.

“Hey everyone!” yelled Jack as he came up from behind Hiccup.

Hiccup jumped, heart pounding. He hated it when people came up from behind him.

_A rough voice in his ear. Large, calloused hands wrapping around his arm, pulling, pushing, bruising._

_Black and blue all over. Heart pounding, thoughts racing, trembling._

_‘Wanna leave, wanna go. Let me go, let me go!’_

_Laughter, cold cruel laughter...ringing in his ears…_

“Don’t do that,” scolded Hiccup before he could help himself. Jack laughed and ruffled his hair. Hiccup blinked but scowled.

“Who do you have first period?” asked Merida.

“I have Chemistry with Mr. Drew.”

The upperclassmen gaped at him. He grew defensive and crossed his arms over his chest. “What?”

“You’re a freshman, and you take Chem?” asked Eugene, incredulous.

“So?” Hiccup practically snarled.

“Hey, hey,” Jack said. “Calm down, Hiccup. We’re just surprised. Most freshman take biology.”

Hiccup looked down at the tiled floors. “I took that in the eighth grade.”

“Whoa,” Rapunzel said. “What school did you go to?”

“Same as everyone else,” Hiccup muttered. “Burgess Middle.”

“I don’t remember biology being an eighth grade course,” said Eugene.

“I took it online,” snapped Hiccup. He was really getting annoyed with these four. Once again, _why_ were they here?

_“Well, if it isn’t Hiccup the Useless, the freak with no friends.”_

“Sorry if I seem like I’m prying,” apologized Eugene, his hands upward as if saying,   _I surrender_.

“It’s your lucky day,” Merida said. “I have Mr. Drew first period.” Then she frowned. “How come I haven’t noticed yeh before?”

“I sit in the back,” sighed Hiccup.

The bell shrieked and the halls began to flood with students. Merida grabbed Hiccup’s arm and started pulling him in the direction of Chemistry class.

Mr. Drew allowed his students to pick their own seats, so long as they didn’t speak and pass notes and disrupt the class. It was his first year as a Chemistry teacher and he was boring, though the labs he put together involved fire and explosions, which made up for his attitude.

Hiccup sat in the back of the class in his normal seat, surrounded by empty chairs and black tables. Merida surprised him by sitting in the vacant seat next to him. Mr. Drew took attendance and handed out sheets regarding molecular formulas.

A note was slid next to him. He stared at it, then at Merida who winked at him and motioned for him to respond. He read the note.

_Are you going to Baby Tooth’s this afternoon with us?_

Scribbling his response, he gave it back to Merida covertly.

_No. Why?_

He heard Merida sigh as she wrote down her reply.

_It’ll be fun, I promise._

_I have things I need to do after school. I can’t._

Yes, like clean the house and hole himself up in his room.

_You sure it can’t wait?_

_I’m positive, Merida. I can’t go to Baby Teeth’s._

_It’s Baby Tooth’s, Hiccup. Lol._

Hiccup blinked at the paper. What the hell did _lol_ mean? The bell for second period rang and Hiccup dashed out of the Chemistry classroom to make it to Algebra II, before Pitch Black caught him on his way to Calculus.

A pale hand snatched him in the hallway as he half-jogged, half-walked and pulled him into a dark corner. As usual, no one paid them any mind. Hiccup squeaked as he saw Pitch grin toothily at him. Hiccup ignored the way his knees trembled. Why did the senior like seeing Hiccup terrified? It was as if Hiccup’s terror was Pitch’s drug.

He was lifted, back pressing against the wall. “H-hi, Pitch.”

“Hello, Hiccup.” Pitch said, as if they were old friends. “I haven’t seen you in weeks. Are you hiding from me?”

“What?” Hiccup said, faking a laugh and ignoring his stomach dropping to his feet at the high pitch of his voice. “Me? Hide? From _you_.” Hysterical laughter bubbled in his throat but he swallowed it down. The warning bell rang overhead.

Pitch smiled.

 

* * *

 

Hiccup groaned, holding the ice pack to the side of his face.

“Are you sure you’re alright, Hiccup?” Nurse Belle asked once more, staring at him seriously.

Hiccup nodded but then groaned again at the pounding echo that resonated in his mind. Miss Belle chuckled softly. “Take a lie down, Hiccup. I’ll inform your fifth period teacher that you’re in the nurses office. It’s Mr. B, right?”

“Right,” said Hiccup as he laid down on one of the many beds.

Pitch was, well, incensed at Hiccup for “daring to hide from him” which Hiccup didn’t get. It wasn’t _his_ fault the senior didn’t catch him as often as he’d liked. Therefore, for his impudence, Hiccup got a fresh new bruise on the side of his face. The door to the nurses’ office opened and Ms. Belle yelled, “I’ll be with you in a moment!” before taking one last look at Hiccup and bustling forth to the newest occupant.

Hiccup ignored Ms. Belle and the unknown student in favor of closing his eyes and wondering how he was going to explain this newest bruise to his father. He could always play it off as he got into a fight, but it wasn’t that believable since Hiccup didn’t really like confrontations nor was he exactly proficient in the art of punching other people. He sighed and grumbled, his father was insufferable whenever Hiccup told him he got bullied.

_“I can’t always be there to protect you, Hiccup. You’ve got to learn to stand up for yourself.”_

“Hiccup?”

His eyes flew open to see Rapunzel standing in the doorway, eyes wide, and gaping.

“H...hey, Rapunzel,” Hiccup greeted. “What brings you here?”

Rapunzel didn’t respond. Her eyes were narrowed in on the dark, swelling bruise. “Was it Dagur?” she asked.

“Hiccup!” Ms. Belle yelled suddenly, accusingly. “You said you tripped and hit your cheek on the desk!”

Eh...not the best of his excuses but it worked.

Until Rapunzel walked in, of course.

Hiccup sighed, slouching. He hated the disappointed look on Ms. Belle’s face. “It wasn’t Dagur,” Hiccup mumbled.

“Then who was it?” asked Rapunzel.

Ms. Belle placed her hands on her hips. Her bun was beginning to unravel, small wisps of her brunette hair curled down to her shoulders, framing her face prettily.

“Well?” prompted Ms. Belle.

Hiccup groaned, closing his eyes, before whispering, “Pitch. It was Pitch.”

“Who?” asked Rapunzel. “

“Oh,” Ms. Belle said, her eyes flaming with the news. “You mean Kozmotis Black!”

Rapunzel gaped, “Didn’t he get arrested last weekend for breaking and entering or something?”

Ms. Belle shook her head. “I’m not allowed to discuss that. Now, Hiccup,” she narrowed her gaze at the freshmans’ shrinking physique. “Why didn’t you tell me this in the first place?”

Hiccup shrugged.

_Pitch towered over his cowering body. “You tell anyone, you twerp, and I’ll kill you. Got it?”_

_Hiccup nodded, body trembling and aching from where it was kicked, cheek throbbing but he didn’t dare touch his face. It might give Pitch the grounds for another punch._

_He nodded firmly. “Good,” said Pitch. The bell rang overhead. “See you later, I suppose.” Pitch stalked to his class and Hiccup stayed in the shadows, shakily taking in his breaths one at a time. He held his cheek gingerly, biting down the hiss that threatened to escape. He stood on quivering feet and forced his way to the nurses’ office._

_There was no way he was going to class like this._

Bullies seemed to rule his life one way or the other.

What joy.

 

* * *

 

“Whoa, Haddock, who ran you over?” blinked one of his classmates as he walked into the classroom.

Hiccup shrugged once more and slunked to his seat in the back. The Annoying Four, as he’d taken to call those upperclassmen, weren’t in his AP English class, which was like a breath of fresh air. Heads turned to him, staring at his blossoming bruise, before turning back to their friends, whispering.

“Alright, class, settle it down,” drawled Mr. Grump.

The name fit the teacher perfectly. The class kicked off with Mr. Grump talking about their AP exam in the spring, sometime around May. The class groaned and moaned once he started speaking about free response questions. Hiccup stared out the window.

“Haddock!” barked the teacher.

Hiccup jumped, jerking his head to the front of the room. “Y-yes, Mr. Grump?”

“Principal wants to see you,” grunted Mr. Grump, who as peering at his bruise curiously.

As Hiccup gathered his things, took the pass from Mr. Grump, and walked out of the classroom, their whispers floated to his ears.

_“I heard that his parents gave him that bruise during lunch…”_

_“...I think it was Dagur, you know, it seems like something the bastard would do….”_

_“...damn, I wonder what I’ll be having for dinner tonight…”_

_“...he’s so tiny, are you sure he’s a freshman?”_

Hiccup closed the door to the whispering and sighed before making his way down to the front office. His heart was in his throat as he knocked on the wooden panel of the door. He’d never been called down before. He was a straight A student and there was nothing he could’ve done to upset Miss Bloodgood.

“Enter,” called the stern woman.

Hiccup opened the door and his eye widened a bit at seeing Pitch Black slouching in one of the seats in the office.

 _Oh no,_ Hiccup thought. Dread pooled in the pit of his stomach. _Da, da, da, I’m dead._

“Have a seat, Mr. Haddock.” Miss Bloodgood said, motioning to the other empty chair. Hiccup sat down on the edge of the seat, far away from Pitch. Well, as much as he’d dared to. “Now, I’ve been hearing things about you two having a...disagreement.”

 _Disagreement my ass,_ Hiccup snorted in his head.

“Mr. Black, care to explain the need to assault Mr. Haddock on the way to your Calculus course?” asked Miss Bloodgood.

“I did no such thing, Principal,” lied Pitch smoothly. He didn’t even look anxious at being in the office.

Miss Bloodgood glared stonily at Pitch. “Mr. Black, I have reviewed the footage of the cameras in the hallways and all evidence points to you assaulting Mr. Haddock as he was going to his math class. You pulled him into the darkest point of the hallway, in which one where there _is_ a camera positioned there to catch foolhardy students such as you.”

Pitch’s cool façade  shattered, and he was floundering for words, for another excuse.

“Mr. Haddock,” Miss Bloodgood turned to him. “Do you wish to press charges?”

It was then that he saw the two police officers standing in the room, along with a man and woman whom Hiccup assumed was Pitch’s parents. Hiccup glanced at Pitch, whose jaw was clenched and his nostrils flaring.

Hiccup gulped but looked back at Miss Bloodgood and shook his head. “No,” he murmured.

He ignored Pitch’s smirk. Miss Bloodgood nodded and bid him farewell as the bell rang, signalling the end of the day. Hiccup walked out of the office and onto the front lawn of Thaddeus High School. He sighed but tightened the straps of his bag and started to make his way home. However, a honk blasting from a car made him jump.

“Hey, Hiccup!” called Jack Frost.

Hiccup turned to see The Annoying Four, in what was presumed to be Eugene’s car, right next to him. Hiccup sighed. “Yes?”

“Come with us to the…” Eugene started but paused at the sight of his face. His face began to cloud with ire. “Where’s Dagur? I’ll kill the bastard.”

“Calm down, Mr. Violent,” Hiccup rolled his eyes. “It wasn’t Dagur. It was Pitch Black.”

“That creeper?” asked Merida from the backseat. “I swear, he put hidden cameras in the girls’ locker room last year.”

“Ew, Merida,” complained Rapunzel, who shuddered at the thought.

“What do you want?” asked Hiccup shortly. “I have to get home.”

“You sure you don’t want to come with us?” Eugene asked. “It’ll be fun.”

_It was dark outside, almost storming. A girl with blonde hair was begging Hiccup to come join them at the local bonfire. “C’mon, Hiccup, it’ll be fun. I swear.”_

_A large blonde boy was nodding. In his hands held a book titled ‘dragons flight’ “Sure you don’t want to come? I need someone to help me with Astrid’s crazyness.”_

_“What’s that supposed to mean, Fishlegs? I’ll have you know that I’m perfectly sane!”_

_Laughter. Such wonderful laughter. It went downhill, then. Spiraling into unknown insanity._

_It was dark. It was cold. So cold._

_‘Wanna go home. Wanna get away. Let me go. Let me go!’_

Hiccup blinked but sighed. Maybe this is where they’ll play the joke. “Might as well get it over with, Haddock,” he mumbled to himself before turning to the Annoying Four and said, “Fine. I’ll go. Just this once, and you’ll leave me alone. Got it?”

Jack smirked. “Sure, Hiccup. Get in!” The backseat door was propped open and Hiccup climbed inside of the silver Honda Civic.  

An artist named Sia was playing from the radio once Hiccup was buckled in.

“To Baby Tooth’s!”

The drive to Baby Tooth’s was a short five minutes, two blocks away from Hiccup’s house. As he got out of Eugene’s car, he wondered how he missed the place since he passed it by everytime he walked to and from school. He only knew vague ideas about Baby Tooth’s. It was a coffee house, an art studio and book store wrapped in one.

When Hiccup walked inside, one thing for sure was that the place was colorful. Bright colors flashed out at him but it didn't make it look gaudy or blinding. It looked like the clutter of artistic genius.

Hiccup loved it.

“See?” laughed Jack once he saw the look on Hiccup’s face. “I told you he’d love the place, Merida!”

“Oy, shut it, Frost!”

“Jack!” yelled a girl who had two different eye colors and multiple highlights in her dark brown hair. Hiccup wondered if the girl had heterochromia, since one iris was blue and the other was….purple? The girl hugged Jack tightly before her eyes landed on Hiccup. “Hi! I’m the owner, Bria. What’s your name, and welcome to Baby Tooth’s!”

The girl was on par with Rapunzel in regards to engery.

“Uh...I’m Hiccup.” He greeted. “I like this place.”

Bria grinned. “Thanks, Hiccup! Call me if you need me. I’ll be somewhere around here.” And then the girl fluttered away, chattering with another customer.

“That’s my cousin,” Jack told him. “She co-owns the store with my Aunt Tooth.”

“Oh,” Hiccup nodded.

“Come on,” Rapunzel said. “I snagged us a seat over there, by the window.”

Little Talks by Of Monsters and Men was playing overhead. Hiccup saw many bobbing heads and lip-singing. He even saw someone use a straw as a microphone, their table bursting into giggles.

Eugene tapped his fingers to the beat. “I love this song, and the band.”

“So, Hiccup, how are you liking Thaddeus High?” asked Rapunzel as she took out a book from her bag.

Hiccup blinked and shifted. “It...It’s okay.”

“It’d be better if those jerks would leave you alone,” groused Jack. Merida nodded in agreement.

Hiccup wanted to scream. Why did they care? No one ever cared. Instead, he settled for sighing and staring down at the dark blue table top. He debated taking out his sketchbook to doodle but decided against it. It might be considered rude and he didn’t want another bruise if these upperclassmen proved to be violent if angered.

“What’s your favorite subject?” asked Merida.

Hiccup looked up and said, “A-art.”

“What period do you have Mr. B?” asked Rapunzel, whose eyes lit up at the mention of art.

“I have him after lunch,” said Hiccup.

“Do you mostly paint, sculpt or…?”

“I…” His phone buzzed, cutting him off. He excused himself to take the call, walking out to the front of Baby Tooth’s for some privacy. His father was calling him. “Hi, dad.”

 _“Hiccup_ ,” said his father in a gruff voice. _“I’ll be coming in late, tonight.”_

This was normal. “Okay.”

_“Your principal called,”_

His heart dropped. _Here we go..._

_“What’s this about some Pithy boy punching you?”_

“H...his names’ Pitch” Hiccup spluttered. “B-but, uh, his real name is—”

_“I don’t care about his real name! I thought we went over this, Hiccup, you’ve got to learn to fight back!”_

I can’t, Hiccup wanted to say. I can’t fight back, that’s the problem. You know I can’t. Instead, he replied, “I know, dad. I...I’ll fight back next time.”

_“There better not be a next time, Hiccup. Look, I’ve got to go. I’ll see you tomorrow.”_

His father hung up. There was no goodbye, no ‘I love you’, not even a ‘I’m sorry you got punched by someone who is three times your size and weight, Hiccup’. He sighed. He didn’t know why he felt so disappointed. He was used to this after all. He walked back inside.

“Hiccup...are you alright?”

Hiccup looked at Merida and plastered a fake smile on his face. “I’m fine, Merida.”  He sat down in his seat, shoving his phone back into his bag. Listening to the conversations around him, he gathered that Jack and Merida were arguing over sports, whereas Rapunzel was regaling Eugene with her latest art piece. He looked at the time. It was almost four o’clock.

“Jack Frost!” boomed a large, muscled, tattooed white-haired man.

Hiccup jumped.

Jack laughed. “Hey, Uncle North.”

_This is...Jack’s uncle?_

“And Jack’s friends,” North beamed. “Hello Merida, Rapunzel, Eugene…” he turned to Hiccup. “I’m afraid that I don’t know who you are.”

“This is Hiccup, North,” Merida said. “Hiccup, this is North.”

Hiccup gave a small wave. “Hi.”

North let out a boisterous laugh. It made Hiccup jump once more. He didn’t like loud noises. “He is cute, no?”

A burning blush arose on Hiccup’s cheeks. “North,” Rapunzel scolded half-heartedly. “You’re embarrassing him. Stop it!”

“Just telling the truth, Punzie, no harm done, right, Hiccup?” North looked at him with icy blue eyes.

Dumbfounded, all Hiccup could do was nod. No one ever called him _cute_. He was all pale and freckles and awkward and dorky. People would have to have pretty low standards if they wanted to date him, even considering it.

Hiccup cleared his throat once North walked away. “I..uh...need to get home.”

“Oh,” frowned Jack. “Alright.”

“I’ll drive!” Merida said as she snatched Eugene’s car keys and made a beeline for the front doors. Eugene ran after her, hollering.

Hiccup walked outside to see Merida and Eugene wrestling for the keys. “I can...uh...walk.”

“Nonsense,” Rapunzel said. “It’s too cold to be walking right now.”

“Welcome to Burgess,” muttered Hiccup.

Burgess winters was a summers’ day compared to Berk.

Hiccup walked inside of his house, waving Eugene and the others goodbye, and closed the door. He greeted Toothless once the cat bounced to his side. Hiccup closed his eyes, leaning his head back against the front door.

Gods, did he hate high school.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Miss Belle [Beauty and the Beast; Disney]  
> Miss Bloodgood [Monster High; Nickelodeon]

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you like!


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